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Jacket Description: Movies learned to sing and dance even before they learned to talk. For years before the arrival of sound, Joan Crawford and other flappers had been dancing the Charleston on the silent screen. Then musical soundtracks were adopted, providing the first 'sounds' of sound films. Later still, and some say by accident, came the talkies. It is said that Al Jolson, while doing the song recording for The Jazz Singer, cried out in a burst of enthusiasm 'You ain't heard nothing yet, folks! Listen to this!' And talking pictures were born.
Purists will limit the film musical genre to the half dozen or so that finally fulfilled the highest criteria of cinematic art. But John Kobal is no purist. He is interested in all the torch songs by femmes fatales, the high kicks and shuffles of the chorus cuties, the extravagant set-pieces which relied more on spectacle than on musical talent. He is also more interested than anyone in the great personalities of the musical, such as Fred Astaire, Judy Garland, Gene Kelly, Jeanette MacDonald, Busby Berkeley.
But his most valuable contributions to cinema lore are the special interviews with, among others, Rene Clair, Vincente Minnelli, Rouben Mamouhan, Charles Walters, Kathryn Grayson, Bebe Daniels, Bessie Love, Joan Blondell, Mae West and Jessie Matthews.
This unique and highly entertaining book is illustrated with over 670 photographs from the author's collection. Most of these will be new to the reader and many are rare and unknown even to the most knowledgeable students of the genre. The photographs speak —even dance—for themselves. If there is a book anywhere that can do justice to the exhilarating spirit of the musical then this is it.
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Previews available in: English
Subjects
Musical films, History and criticism, Musicals, Pictorial works, Movies, Motion Pictures, Films, Feature Films, Short FilmsPeople
Fred Astaire (1899-1987), Judy Garland (1922-1969), Gene Kelly (1912-1996), Jeanette MacDonald (1903-1965), Busby Berkeley (1895-1976), Vincente Minnelli (1903-1986), Joan Blondell (1906-1979), Mae West (1893-1980)Places
Hollywood, CaliforniaShowing 8 featured editions. View all 8 editions?
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1
Gotta Sing Gotta Dance
January 29, 1990, Random House Value Publishing
Hardcover
in English
0517024144 9780517024140
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2
Gotta sing, gotta dance: a history of movie musicals.
1988, Spring Books
in English
0600559289 9780600559283
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3
A History of Movie Musicals (Gotta Sing Gotta Dance)
1983, Spring Books
in English
0600559289 9780600559283
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4
Gotta sing, gotta dance: a pictorial history of film musicals
1973, Hamlyn
in English
0600031268 9780600031260
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6
Gotta sing, gotta dance: a pictorial history of film musicals.
1970, Hamlyn
in English
0600031268 9780600031260
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zzzz
Libraries near you:
WorldCat
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7
Gotta Sing, Gotta Dance: A Pictorial History of Film Musicals
1970, Hamlyn
Hardcover
in English
0600031268 9780600031260
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Libraries near you:
WorldCat
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8
Gotta sing, gotta dance: a pictorial history of film musicals
1970, Hamlyn
in English
0600031268 9780600031260
|
cccc
Libraries near you:
WorldCat
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Book Details
Edition Notes
Originally published, London: Hamlyn, 1971. Revised ed. 1983.
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- Created November 8, 2008
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December 4, 2022 | Edited by ImportBot | import existing book |
October 8, 2017 | Edited by MARC Bot | merge duplicate works of 'Gotta sing, gotta dance' |
August 19, 2010 | Edited by IdentifierBot | added LibraryThing ID |
April 16, 2010 | Edited by bgimpertBot | Added goodreads ID. |
November 8, 2008 | Created by ImportBot | Imported from Talis record |